The Meadows Cheeky Chimps Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive at the nursery. They make good progress in their learning and development from their individual starting points. Children are happy and develop strong bonds with their key persons and other staff. Full of smiles, children explore the inspiring indoor and outdoor learning environments with great enthusiasm.

Staff have a good understanding of children's needs, interests and abilities. They use what they know about the children to plan and implement a curriculum that successfully covers all areas of learning and takes account of what children need to learn next.

Staff throughout the nursery instinctively support children's communication and language development. They provide a narrative to babies' play, sing to them and introduce action rhymes. For example, staff sing as they change babies' nappies, and toddlers are observed doing actions to the 'Incy Wincy Spider' song they hear. Staff read stories and introduce new vocabulary as they support children's play. Two- and three-year-olds talk about what they are doing and interact with staff and visitors with increasing confidence. Pre-school children chat avidly about their experiences, recalling past events using their impressive vocabularies and language skills. Children who find verbal communication more difficult receive sensitive support from staff. Staff use sign language routinely and carry picture cards on lanyards to enable children to make their needs known.

Children are well behaved. They receive guidance to help them learn behavioural expectations and how to stay safe. Older children recall the 'golden rules', such as to use 'kind hands' and listening ears.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The management team and staff are all enthusiastic in their roles and show genuine warmth and kindness to every child.
• Managers monitor the effectiveness of the provision well overall. Supervision takes place regularly. Staff, including apprentices, receive coaching, support and training to aid their professional development. However, managers have not fully considered how best to deploy staff at drop-off times. For example, staff caring for babies sometimes have to leave those they are engaging with to provide extra support to babies who find it hard to detach from their carers.
• Indoor and outdoor areas are well equipped, and staff use resources effectively to promote children's learning. Babies inquisitively explore their play space, and staff respond by showing them how to use resources. Toddlers demonstrate how they can climb and slide. They show visitors how to use hand puppets and to operate light-up globes, pointing to the patterns they create. Outdoors, older children delight in splashing in puddles. They scoop soil into cups to make 'drinks' for staff and visitors. They dig in the sand and talk with staff about animal habitats that they learned about recently.
• As children go about their self-chosen play, staff instinctively challenge them to extend their learning. For example, staff encourage children to count and recognise numerals and simple shapes as they construct structures using their own design ideas. During group activities, children learn to take turns and work together. They develop their creativity. For example, they combine different materials to make Christmas decorations and bags. Occasionally, quieter children are overlooked a little during group activities, so do not get the opportunity to share their ideas and build their confidence skills.
• Staff foster children's self-esteem well, giving children high praise for their achievements. Children gain excellent independence skills from a young age. For example, staff show toddlers how to wipe their noses. Two- and three-year-olds learn to use tongs to serve spaghetti and how to use cutlery. They learn to wash their faces, looking in low level mirrors to spot areas they miss. Pre-school children show great independence as they serve their snacks, wash their plates, dress to go outdoors and help to tidy up.
• Children learn to value diversity and to respect one another. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive very good support. Staff work well with outside professionals to aid children's learning and use extra funding effectively to support children and their families.
• Management work proactively to initiate two-way communication with other settings children attend. They develop really positive partnerships with parents. Parents say that they feel well informed about their children's learning. They really appreciate opportunities to join their children for planned events, such as pumpkin picking, decorating the Christmas tree and meeting visiting farm animals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review staff deployment at drop-off times to reduce pressure on staff in the babies' area to help them provide the extra support babies sometimes need when detaching from their parents
• provide greater opportunities for quieter children to play an active part in group activities, to share their ideas and increase their confidence.